What a ride this was! I don’t really know what I was expecting when I went into this one and I think I enjoyed it that much more because of that reason! This story is weird and violent and suspenseful and I would watch the crap out of this if it were a TV show!

I really wanted to like this book. A novel about a girl taking revenge against her assaulters, inspired by Macbeth sounds utterly engrossing. And it definitely should have been. The storyline itself is interesting, and if I were to describe the way the novel unfolds from beginning to end to a friend, it would sound incredibly intriguing, thrilling, and interesting. However, reading the book itself was a slog and the well-crafted plot couldn’t make up for the so-so writing and lack of characterization.

I get the writing style that the author was going for her - sparse and startling, without much description or dwelling on the thoughts and emotions of the characters. I’ve seen this style pulled off well before, but it just didn’t work for me for this book. There were phrases and sentences that stuck out to me as being very striking and well-written, but it felt like there was no flow to the writing, just short staccato bursts of dialogue and bare-bones descriptions.

My biggest gripe with Foul is Fair and the one-dimensional characters. Every character in this book could be described with two adjectives, and it would cover their character from beginning to end. Jade/Elle is vengeful and sharp-edged. Mack is sweet but complacent with his friends’ crimes. Jade’s four friends (Mads, Jenny, Summer and Lilia) are completely interchangeable. There is no growth or development, even in the case of one character who theoretically underwent a huge transformation. I could get over the fact that none of these characters would exist in the real world, but at least make them fully-formed in this revenge fantasy setting.

Lastly, there are a couple things I didn't care for in the way the book handles sexual assault/rape. First, the crime is never reported, even though Jade tells her parents. Second, Jade looks down on the therapy that's offered after her assault, deeming it for the weak. Lastly, the phrase "they picked the wrong girl" is a refrain in this book, and it rubs me the wrong way. It gives me the sense that Jade is shaming other victims of sexual assault that didn't murder their assaulters.

All that being said, if you’re just in the mood for a manically plotted revenge fantasy and don’t give a hoot about well-crafted characterization, feel free to enjoy this wild ride. I've also heard good things about the authors' debut book, The Dead Queens Club.

This was a very intense read about a very serious subject: rape.

Elle, now Jade for most of the book, and her three best friends are the LA It-girls. Rich parents, living in Mansions and partying it up at 16years old.
Until the night everything changes and revenge begins.

It’s a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The first person narrative by Jade is to the point, not much extra story and no character development as everybody’s life ends within 6 days of begin of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had absolutely no expectations going into this book, but, hot damn, it was good. A group of teenage girls, one of who is seeking revenge on a group of teenage boys. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading, but I'm so glad I did. Even if you haven't experienced what the main character did, I think all of us have wanted revenge and retribution at some cost. And Capin wrote this very well. It kept me hooked, and I wanted these girls to get their justice. Great read!


4/5 Stars

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5

Foul is Fair was a dark tale inspired by Macbeth about revenge after sexual assault and about survivors taking power into their own hands. It a was a raw, raging and visceral read.

On the night of Elizabeth Jade Khanjara’s sweet sixteen, she crashed a St. Andrew’s Prep party with her closest friends- Mads, Jenny and Summer. She became the target of a group of rich, privileged ‘golden boys’ who drugged then sexually assaulted/ raped her, thinking she wouldn’t remember, that they’d get away with it like they always did. But not this time. Because, although Jade’s memory of what happened was fragmented she remembered enough and she and her coven of friends swore to take every single person involved down.

Jade (our Lady Macbeth) didn’t want to be a victim or a survivor, she wanted to be an avenger. She was fierce and there would be consequences for anyone who crossed her or her friends. Her way of dealing with what happened to her was completely detaching herself from who she was before. She changed her name, dyed her hair ‘revenge black’ and became a new person, filled with rage. She targeted everyone involved- including the people who gave her the drink, who guarded the door, who stood by and did nothing- and transferred to St. Andrews Prep. Mack (our Macbeth) seemed to be the only member of their group who wasn’t involved and she exploited and amplified his hesitant ambition to pit them all against each other, manipulate their fears and make them meet their ends.

As a character, Jade was brutal. She revelled in exacting her revenge and wielding her power and she didn’t hold back. Her coven of friends were equally brutal and extremely loyal to one another. I liked their tight-knit friendship, how they could trust each other completely. In terms of Macbeth, they were like the witches, spreading toil and trouble and lurking in the background to ensure everything went to plan. The ‘golden boys’ were all on the lacrosse team and observed a strict ranking. Duncan was their ‘king’ and they were all abhorrent human beings, raping and assaulting girls at parties because they knew there would be no consequences for them- until Jade came along.

The writing style in the novel was unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered. It was disjointed, uncompromising and razor-sharp– at times extremely dramatic. I loved it and I think it worked really well with the story but I do think there will be some people who find it an odd and confusing style to follow, it’s just a matter of taste.

The reason I dropped a star was that many parts of the book were very unrealistic. In real life, I don’t think Jade’s plan would have worked out how it did in the novel. For example, the way Mack fell in love with her after a day or so and soon enough was willing to kill for her was very unconvincing.

I think the novel aimed to be as dramatic and vicious as possible to make a statement. Because while murder is never the answer, perpetrators of assault/ rape shouldn’t be allowed to escape justice, survivors and victims need to feel empowered not let down by the authorities. Another thing I liked was the message that there’s no right way of being a survivor and the people around Jade like her friends and parents were very supportive.

In conclusion, Foul is Fair was a ruthless tale about revenge, with social commentary on rape culture that made for a gripping read.

Macbeth has long been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, ever since I first read it in seventh grade and got to play Macbeth in Act 3 of the play. The fact that this book is a modern retelling of Macbeth, but from the viewpoint of Jade, aka Lady Macbeth.

I loved how this book was translated into the modern world, with the revenge fantasy of Jade after she is drugged and raped at a party of a nearby prep school. She vows to get revenge on the boys that did this to her. I could recognize the similarities between the source material and this novel and I enjoyed when I saw a line or scene and how they related.

Unfortunately I just didn't really love the story itself. I didn't find myself connecting to any of the characters and just didn't fall in love the way that I hoped that I would. The writing style wasn't my favourite and I wish that I liked it more.

This was my first book by the author and I really enjoyed it. It took me a while to get into it. I tried physically read this book like 3 times before the release date but for some reasons I couldn't! Anyways I haven't read Macbeth yet so I can't tell u how acurate the retelling is. But I feel like it was really good.
Overall rating: 3.5/5 stars

Foul Is Fair is a book about revenge. About revenge from a girl that gets raped by a group of presumptuous boys that can do what they want because noone is going to stop them. It’s about a girl that fights back with the help pf her friends instead of breaking. This book is full of dark themes, blood and violence. It’s twisted and messy (both good and bad). It’s like nothing I’ve read before. And I still don’t know how to put my thoughts in order. I’m in no way able to write a coherent text. But I can still write a neat list about the things I enjoyed and the things I disliked.

WHAT I LIKED:
» Girl Power. This book is full of girl power. Mostly coming from Jade and her circle of best friends (lovingly called the coven). They’d do anything for one another (and do it) and would never let each other down. They don’t ask, they simply trust. And every single one of them is an individual source of power. I just LOVE powerful girls!
» Diversity – at least of some kind. I don’t want to label this book as a great source of diverse representation, but there are some diverse characters portrayed and I enjoyed this very much (though at least the golden boys of St. Andrew’s look all the same in my head).
» Scheming. Jade is a mastermind when it comes to scheming her revenge. She plots with an intense hatred but still keeps a cool head about it. Every eventuality is planned out. Every movement of everyone. The timing. At some points it feels like Jade is able to bend the nature and her surroundings as well, just so that everything goes as planned. And she is incredibly manipulative when it comes to executing her plans. It’s honestly remarkable how good Jade is at this.
» Darkness. I loved how dark the book was. Not concerning the topics (which are extremely dark), but how there was always a dark flow underneath it all. It would be wrong to say that it highlighted the important parts, but that’s exactly what the darkness did.
» Content and Trigger Warnings. I cannot stress this enough! I appreciate every single author that puts content and trigger warnings in their books. Every. Single. One. You can find a list of the warnings below!

WHAT I DISLIKED:
» The Style. I had some major problems with the writing style of the author. Some metaphors were too much for me and it took me quite some time to get into the writing style and until I figured out the flow of everything.
» Unrealistic parts. I’m not saying that the whole plot of the book is completely unrealistic and that none of this would happen outside of a book. The world is too fucked up for that. But some parts of the story just didn’t feel right for me. I won’t say anything so I don’t soil the book, but there were scenes that just didn’t sit right with me.
» Handling of the topics. I know, I know. This book is about revenge. That’s the whole point of the story and I don’t want to undermine that. And I am most definitely not saying, that the author didn’t handle the topics well. But I feel like Jade as the protagonists could’ve handled the situation better. Or at least different. I get that she wants revenge for what was done to her – completely understandable. But I just wish that she wouldn’t have been so dismissive when it came to reporting. I understand thtat if she’d done this, the whole plot wouldn’t have made any sense. But maybe not every reader likes this kind of display.

trigger warnings: sexual assault (not depicted), rape culture, violence, abusive relationship, suicide attempt, transphobic bullying (for more information visit the author’s content advisory page)

“Because they’re innocent, innocent, innocent as long as they tell themselves they are. As long as they can tell themselves we’ll remember and she won’t. Because to them it isn’t real and it isn’t wrong and that little whore with the jade-green eyes would never come for them.
Because that little whore with the jade-green eyes is no one at all.
Because she’s just a girl, alone and trapped and powerless with their hands locked over her mouth-
– and they’re the golden boys today and the whole world tomorrow.”

Sorry for the long quote, but I really wanted to start with it because it contains perfectly the essence of the book.
Foul Is Fair is a book about revenge, it’s about taking back power that men try to pry from us, it’s about a woman who won’t be a victim and takes justice in her own hands.
It’s about rich boys who thinks they have the world at their feet, and people that are too afraid to say otherwise.
It’s a war cry.
It’s talons ripping through boys' skins.
It’s claws scratching patriarchy’s face.

The story is really fast-paced, dark and violent. The reader follows Jade homicidal plan to destroy one by one the boys who raped her. She infiltrates their school, their group and makes the golden boy fall in love with her in order to make him kill them all.
The tone of the book is lyrical but the words are very colloquial and this creates a dualism that the reader needs to get used to. I have to admit that I had an hard time with that. But in the second half of the book, I found myself transported by the rhythm and unable to tear myself away from it.

The story is not the most realistic one, and it’s often over the top BUT it’s powerful and raw. I think that Hannah Capin consciously exaggerated various scenes and elements to make her message clearer. Besides, Macbeth was not very realistic, as well.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”

Foul is Fair is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, mixed with Riverdale & Mean Girls. All of it basically screams Hollywood. It certainly would make a good movie, albeit an implausible one.
At the beginning of the book, I had an hard time, not only due to the writing style, but also for the implausibility of certain scenes (sometimes it felt like I was reading a Charlie’s Angels movie script).
Moreover, the swift and lyrical rhythm of the writing style has made the story very fast-paced but, unfortunately, has also rendered nearly impossible for the author to write deep characters. In fact, from the protagonist, to her coven & the doomed boys the characters stays all really cliché throughout the novel.

“We’ll be the witches they don’t believe in until it’s too late.”

All in all, the message and strange, lyrical style saved this book making it a powerful metaphor of revenge and empowerment.

Wow this book is dark and twisted. Foul is Fair is quite the revenge novel. This is not for the faint of heart. It is also sort of fun in a late eighties early 90’s girl power movie. The story is not super complicated, a teenage girl is sexually assaulted at a party and the girl and her friends plot to kill all the boys involved. The plot moves very quickly but there are a lot of unbelievable things that happened in this book. Like for example insta-obsession.

Foul is Fair attacks the male gaze. It flips the tables, giving women the power to control and manipulate. All of which I loved. This book is violent and scary and certainly is not for everyone. I liked that Elle/Jade was strong and vengeful. One thing I didn’t like was the coven. I understand the purpose of them, Jade needed accomplices. But they didn’t really add much to the story, other than questioning Jade. This did sort of take away from the girl power vibe I was getting.

Overall, I really liked this book. But I want to reiterate this isn’t for everyone and while it is young adult, I would only recommend this for the mature young adult readers.

I think this one is a real underrated 2020 YA release. Powerful and feminist, I really enjoyed reading Foul is Fair. This book didn't pull punches, and wasn't afraid to make some bold points. I didn't always love the pacing, but I felt invested in the plot and enjoyed most of the characters.

3.5

This book was craaazy!

So, the story is a retelling of Macbeth, and if you know anything about the play, you know that first and foremost, it’s a tragedy. And if you know anything about Shakespeare tragedies, you know that usually at least like four people die. Macbeth is no different. Pretty much all the characters die in this one.

Even knowing that and expecting characters to fall like flies, Foul is Fair was wild. Content warnings galore.

The book follows Jade, who, after being assaulted by a very distinct group of prep school assholes, exacts her revenge. In the most Shakespearean way possible.

I have to say, it’s glorious. Jade and her coven are complete, take no prisoners, armed to the teeth with wit and revenge badasses.

But the book is also kinda tough.

The characters kind of reminded me of Gossip Girl? Which, if you’re anything like me, you found to be addictively infuriating. So that’s a pro, I suppose. Although, while I’m on the subject of characters, I will say my con: some of the characters kind of blended together. They served their purpose, but it was hard to get a real character reading off of them. I’m thinking mostly of the boys: Duncan, Macduff, Banquo... and whomever the hell Connor was supposed to represent, if anyone.

Everything about this book is pretty solid. The writing, the plot, etc. But there were a few things that just weren’t for me. Idk. Maybe psychopath teenagers isn’t my thing. The pacing also felt super rushed. The assault happened and then like a week later, everyone’s dead. Maybe a week and a half. Not long at all. Some details also felt really convenient, but I won’t go into that much. No spoilers here.

Anyway, despite all the things that made me not completely love this book, I know it’s gotten plenty of rave reviews. So I suggest forming your own opinion! Recommended for badass bitches seeing revenge.

DNF @ 55%

Getting the trigger warnings out of the way: The book is about sexual assault and although it doesn't really happen on page and is not described explicitly it is very much present throughout. Jade will also often flash back to things the boys said to her as it was happening so if that is something that will bother you then probably give this a pass.

I like the concept for this book but the execution was all over the place, and I think the writing style is ultimately what made me not be able to finish it. The writing style isn't necessarily bad but this book is definitely like reading one of those prose-poetry books except instead of a few nice short poems it's literally over 300 pages of weird choppy dialogue and descriptions and it gets old very fast. I would definitely recommend looking at a sample of this if you are buying it online or reading the first few chapters if you are getting it in a store to see what you're getting into.

My other big problem, as I've seen several other reviews mention, is that I had to suspend way too much disbelief here for a contemporary novel. I mean she literally tells her parents she got raped and there is almost no reaction from them or involvement from them at all. She goes to this new school and takes over as head popular girl in like three hours and apparently also no one recognizes her from before because she cut her hair or something. She meets this random guy is like 'hey can you kill your friends for me, they totally deserve it' and he's just like 'lol sure'. None of this tracks.

Also none of the characters except Jade, Mack, and Duncan have any sort of personality. Jade's three friends are basically interchangeable, as are the popular girl clique and the sports boys group. Characters kept doing things and I would try to be like 'ok is that the one that did this before or this' and could not remember at all. I'm honestly not sure what this book even spent its page space doing because it wasn't building plot or characterization.

Also, and this is just a personal pet peeve, but I hated all the ~I put on my makeup and did my hair and it was my warpaint~ stuff and it was EVERYWHERE. I have nothing against anyone who likes to do their hair or makeup in real life but I hate this idea of 'oh I'll give it to the patriarchy by [spins wheel] conforming to their ridiculous beauty standards!' that is so prevalent now. I guess it kind of works here since she is going 'undercover' but there is a lot of talk about how they did this kind of thing before to 'control' boys etc.

And I know it's a Macbeth retelling so I guess you have to have 'Mack' there, but I just don't understand why Jade and her friends did not go after Duncan and his friends themselves. I mean I guess to remove themselves slightly from the situation, but it was so unbelievable that he would be involved that way and if this was supposed to be a revenge fantasy I think it would have been better for Jade to be getting that revenge more directly herself. Anyway, I think there was probably a good novella in here somewhere, but it got lost somewhere along the way.

Invited by publicist to blog tour, participated in author Q&A: https://yabooksdaily.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/blog-tour-foul-is-fair-by-hannah-capin-qa/

Everything I Loved:

* Bloodthirsty – Foul Is Fair is the book I wanted The Female of The Species to be so badly. It is every bit as dark and driven and bloodthirsty as Sadie was. This is the kind of revenge my heart calls for. Mercy? Elle doesn’t know her.



* Friendship Group – Friendship groups in books are my weakness and I absolutely loved these girls here. Their loyalty to each other knows no bounds. When Elle decides she wants to take down the boys of St. Andrew’s, they are 1,000% on board with it. Did I mention they’re all part of a coven? Because they are and it is amazing.

* Loyal Parents – Not only are Elle’s friends ready for Elle to do what she wants to do, but she has her parents support as well. I really did love this because they love Elle. They are ready to fight for her and they know she can take matters into her own hands and her fight for herself.

* Lilia – Lilia was the only good at St. Andrew’s and that’s the story. I really wish there had been more close interaction between her and Elle, but I loved where it ended up.

* Elle Takes No Crap – Okay, there is actually one exception to this but it ends up being okay. I loved how ruthless Elle was. She will take down everyone at St. Andrew’s and not think twice. She doesn’t feel regret for it, she knows what she wants, she knows her endgame and she won’t be satisfied until she gets it. And she does.

Heathers Musical GIF

* It Sticks With You – This is one to read this year. Foul Is Fair sticks with you. It inspires and empowers, yes, it actually requires I half-rhyme to get my point across. Foul Is Fair is for every victim and survivor out there who wanted justice.

Some Things I Didn’t:

I didn’t dislike anything about Foul Is Fair. It is a Macbeth retelling which I haven’t read but other than that, I adored it so much.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Meghan from Wednesday Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
You have to know English isn’t my first language, so feel free to correct me if I make some mistakes while writing this review.


TRIGGER WARNING: sexual aggression, rape culture, violence, abusive relationship, attempted suicide, transphobic bullying.


I know, it's only February, but I can already tell you this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2020.

I won't go too much into details about the plot because I think it's better if you discover this book on your own while the story unfolds itself.


When I was in high school, a classmate of mine told us a story she heard from someone she knew. This guy knew another guy, a proud owner of a snake. Then it came the day the guy gushed about his snake, how it was so cute and tender while sleeping right next to him on the bed - but pay attention: it slept laying down alongside his form, not curled up. So the guy my classmate knew advised him with a certain urgency to get rid of him somehow - that's because the snake was measuring him up in order to eat him.

Well, Jade and her plotting reminded me of that chilling story because Jade does the same: she measures everyone up in order to eat them alive.


Girls are supposed to have the world at their feet, to feel confident everywhere they go, to be so brilliant people have to wear shades to look at them.

Elle, Mads, Jenny and Summer are exactly like that - they're teenagers conquering the world one night at a time. But what happens when someone feels entitled to take what they think it's their right to take without asking first?
What happens when the golden boys think they can always get away with it because what charm doesn't, money sure does?

In a couple of hours, Elle's life like she knew it isn't the same as before.
Those golden boys took her claws, her fangs, trimmed her wings, stole her brilliance and her power - and she wants everything back with the interests.

From Elle's ashes, Jade is born - plotting, scheming, commanding her coven to do what has to be done: kill every one of them.


This is a story about revenge: it's brutal, vicious, gritty and I love every second of it.
You can't tell for sure that something is really magical here - sure, we read about Jade's wings and how her shadow makes everyone cower in fear, but we can't exactly point a finger on something specific.
It's simply so beautifully written and well-constructed that you believe every single word - Hannah Capin did an amazing job with these characters and this world.
A world that's morally gray and a protagonist you may think is unlikeable, but you can't help to love and cheer on her.

This book is for every girl who felt beaten down, for every girl that refused to stand down, for every girl that suffered and for every girl still wanting to fight. For every girl that burnt with a hate and a rage so large they didn't know what to do with themselves. For every girl that tried to forget and for every girl that swore to always remember.

Jade isn't afraid of the darkness, she's not afraid to descend in a pit so obscure light can't be strong enough to show itself if that means getting revenge for what they've done to her. She's not afraid to do whatever it needs to be done and this book doesn't shy away from blackmail, psychological manipulation, blood, cruelty, payback, power, guilt, shame.
It's about rape, silence, slut-shaming and victim-blaming - about something so cruel that somebody still sees it as a weekend diversion.
But it's also about friendship, pride, self-respect and rebirth.

It's a book full of shadows and ghosts, but you'll get hooked up even before you know what hit you - it's a must-read. It always swings between light and darkness and if perhaps you get at the end when it's past midnight, you'll be so afraid to look to the side in fear of seeing a toothy grin so brilliant and scary pointed in your direction.

Loved this book so much! Will be recommending to friends and purchasing for my library. Strong Female of the Species vices.

There's never a wrong time or place for a book about this type of content. The only fictionalized aspect was the revenge story, but the rest of it is too true for the society we live in.
A truly heartbreaking story that I could read again and again.

I love revenge stories, but in general I need to find something appealing about the main character. In this story the MC was unlikeable. She was cruel to innocent people, and I couldn't get behind that. I DNFed at 20%.

FOUL IS FAIR is FUN. It’s so deliciously dark, and bloody and thrilling… ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
It’s Macbeth meets Heathers, mashed with Mean Girls and Cruel Intentions in the ultimate #metoo revenge story. ⁣⁣⁣
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I’m not gonna lie - this book is disturbingly f*cked up! And I loved every dark twist as Jade, our main character, seeks revenge on a group of spoiled prep school golden boys who ruined her Sweet 16 in the most predatory and devastating way. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
Jade cuts her hair and changes her entire identity to enroll at the prep school in order to seek vengeance and destroy each of the boys’ lives one by one along with her powerful coven of female friends. It’s so wild and intensely grim as the schemes are carried out and although some scenarios were quite implausible and far-fetched, I devoured every sinister detail and cheered our tenacious heroine and this fearless female foursome.⁣⁣⁣
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It’s a revenge fantasy horror show that’s so wicked and twisted, yet so beautifully written, that I found myself seeking out more from this author and hope it’s all just as bloody and creative as this one was.⁣⁣⁣